9 of the Best Subreddits to Follow in 2017

Resolve to do some internet exploration in the new year.

Reddit bills itself, not unjustly, as “the front page of the internet.” Its countless subreddits are home to a litany of communities where information, artwork, memes, and discussions of just about any kind can be had. But given the scale of the website, it can be easy to miss some of the best the social network has to offer. In all your exploring and subscribing, you might be missing out on some of the best subreddits out there simply because you never had a chance to hear of them.

If you’re looking to better educate yourself on today’s political landscape, or simply want a good giggle, here are some of the best and most relevant subreddits to follow in 2017:

It can be difficult — near impossible, even — to find a political discussion on the internet that doesn’t immediately dissolve into a flame war riddled with fallacies and falsehoods. For those of us who are tired of wading through the muck, or who want to stay proximate to politics without all the partisan yelling, r/NeutralPolitics is here to help. It is, as the name suggests, a forum for political discussions on any topic, from any perspective, but the community demands that all points be backed up with facts and a well-reasoned argument. “Evidence, Logic, Respect,” reads the subreddit’s header. It’s a welcome set of rules, especially with all those “alternative facts” floating around nowadays.

r/TwoXChromosomes is an inclusive subreddit dedicated to sharing women’s perspectives on a range of topics. Politics, health, relationships, and social justice are all fair game. And, like r/NeutralPolitics, the community enforces a system of respectful, thoughtful engagement. It’s a place to go for women seeking a community with whom they can share their voice, or for anyone that is looking to expose themselves to more perspectives.

The most populous LGBT subreddit out there, r/lgbt, is a place for discussions and news relating to the LGBT community. Posts include discussions about coming out to close ones, and legislation around the world that threatens the rights or safety of LGBT individuals. Similar to r/TwoXChromosomes, it’s a safe space for people looking for an online community of people with common experiences, or for those looking to become more informed about topics they may not be too familiar with. There are more specific subreddits such as r/gaybros and r/transeducate, but r/lgbt is a solid place to start off.

By now, The_Donald subreddit is infamous for being home to some of the internet’s most toxic behavior, with the widespread attention intensifying the typical visitors. With over 300,000 subscribers, it can be a useful hub for getting a peek at the mindsets of a certain kind of Trump supporter. A visit to r/The_Donald won’t so much widen your bubble as it will shatter it, but that’s the kind of engagement people who want to stand up to Trump will need to expect and learn how to navigate. Beware, however, as comments dissenting from the subreddit’s dominant narrative will often see you banned and branded a “cuck,” which is probably the r/The_Donald community’s favorite word.

And if you are one of those individuals who has found him or herself banned from r/The_Donald (meaning you have been barred from posting or commenting), Reddit has another home for you: the aptly named r/BannedFromThe_Donald. On the surface, it’s a facetious subreddit with the purpose of poking fun at the rapidity with which the moderators of r/The_Donald dole out bans. People often post pictures of the comments that saw them banned, many of which are highly innocuous and spark thoughtful discussions. Overall, the subreddit presents a solid, more lighthearted foil to r/The_Donald’s intensity.

One of the faster-growing subreddits out there, r/MemeEconomy is a place for people who have a knack for making, selling, buying, or trading memes. Just make sure to read the posting rules before jumping in, since the subreddit has created an entire language of its own. r/MemeEconomy is an excellent source of memes, and its valuation of these internet commodities are pretty accurate. Just today, there was a meme valued at a whopping “7 schmeckles.”

Speaking of memes, there are few genres of memes so beloved these days as the Biden meme. r/BidenBro boasts the most comprehensive collection of Biden memes around, with more being added every day. It has a large, rapidly growing community, and an overwhelmingly affectionate tone toward the former vice president, even as the memes lampoon his fictional antics. The continued success of these memes mean that /rBidenBro will likely remain active, even with Obama and Biden having recently left office. Biden may no longer be in the White House, but he can surely be found in this subreddit.

The Colorized History subreddit is one of the more fascinating communities on Reddit. Users post colorized versions of formerly black-and-white photographs — some of which are well over 100 years old. It’s like an old history book with a splash from the rainbow. Seeing these pictures in color adds an exciting realness to their history, and might just spark further research on your part into the subjects of the photos. r/ColorizedHistory is an innovative entry point into history. People, places, and events from around the world are all given the color treatment.

If the political subreddits at the top of this list have left you feeling down, or you’re just generally in need of a pick-me-up in the form of humans being decent toward other humans, pay a visit to r/HumansBeingBros. It’s full of GIFs and videos that show people being, just great bros, whether it’s protecting a deer from the rain with an umbrella, or being a good sport after winning a soccer match. Go ahead. Just try not to crack a smile when you watch The Rock surprise a fan.

And if you’re a trivia buff searching for a few sources of random information, check out these subreddits.